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26 of 26 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
New version of the old school--HILARIOUS, November 2, 2010
This review is from: A Tale Dark and Grimm (Hardcover)
Instead of going with the trend of softening Grimms' tales, Gidwitz throws caution to the wind and bloodies them right back up. By the second page, I was cracking up. By the third, I knew this would be the book I read to my 8, 11, and 13 year old nieces and nephews this Thanksgiving.
Gidwitz's style of addressing the readers and warning them about the terror that's coming lightens the story, moves it along and really connects the reader to the speaker. It's amazing. It also serves its stated purpose of warning the smaller children about impending violence. It's tongue in cheek, but it's also an actual tool to let parents know what's coming up.
I'm a children's librarian, and I'm so excited to get my copies (yes, I ordered multiple, that excited) in. I finally have something cool to recommend to my middle grade readers who want something quick and a little scarier than normal fantasy.
Gidwitz uses Hansel and Gretel as the protagonists of the collected tales, drawing them all together into one cohesive history of these strong, unlucky twins. For the most part, you can assume just about everybody dies at some point, but where it really counts they come back to life. Riot. Absolute riot.
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10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Hilarious, wise, sophisticated, November 5, 2010
This review is from: A Tale Dark and Grimm (Hardcover)
Wow, did I enjoy reading this. Gidwitz is, first of all, a fantastic storyteller. The tale is pretty complex, and also fairly horrifying, but it moves at a rapid pace and is constantly enlivened by clever jokes, allusions, and tongue-in-cheek "warnings" about what's to come. These last will appeal to bloody-minded readers of all ages, by which I of course mean everyone.
And yet all the while, Gidwitz seems to be communicating this profound wisdom about childhood, and parents, and families, and anything you can think of that's related. I know extremely little about children's literature and especially little about the Grimm's tales, so I can't say much from that perspective. But as an adult, the poignant meditations on growing up, and on what parents can and can't be, struck me among many, many other things.
In fact, this happened so many times that I wondered whether this book is secretly written primarily for adults. I will not be surprised if I return to this when I have my own children, as a guide to their world and my role in it. Highly recommended.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great Read-Aloud!, March 2, 2011
This review is from: A Tale Dark and Grimm (Hardcover)
The title alone should prepare you for Adam Gidwitz's wry sense of humor as he retells the Brothers Grimm's classic tales. In an interesting twist, the author makes Hansel and Gretel the main characters in every story. However, the Hansel and Gretel in Gidwitz's version are not the sweet and innocent victims we all know and love. A Tale Dark and Grimm is both funny and gross. Like Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson and the Olympians series or Neil Gaiman's The Graveyard Book, it will appeal to both boys and girls; to those who love to laugh and to those who love blood, guts, gore, and adventure. The high interest level and frequent breaks in the story make this a fantastic book for a teacher to read aloud to students. It would also be a great babysitting tool for middle schoolers who watch younger children. The author gives a heads up to the reader every time something bloody is about to happen, warning little ones to cover their ears or leave the room. Of course, this ensures that everyone will remain glued to their seats, waiting to hear the "good parts"....
Dawn Butcher, 7-12 Library Media Specialist The Graveyard BookThe Lightning Thief (Movie Tie-in Edition) (Percy Jackson and the Olympians)The Sea of Monsters (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book 2)The Titan's Curse (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book 3)The Battle of the Labyrinth (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book 4)The Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book Five: Last Olympian
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